Pool cover anchor



Dec. 3, 1968 H. A. PATNAUDE 3,414,226

POOL COVER ANCHOR Filed Aug. 17, 1967 r z 0 INVENTOR. f f HE/VEV ,4. PAT/VAc/OE BY MMZQM 4 OEIVEYS United States Patent 3,414,226 POOL COVER ANCHOR Henry A. Patnaude, 831 Los Molinos Way, Sacramento, Calif. 95825 Filed Aug. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 661,303 9 Claims. (Cl. 248-361) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pool cover anchor adapted to be embedded in concrete comprising a hollow housing having a cylindrical portion with annular securing bosses thereon and a frustoconical portion on the top thereof, a hook removably mounted inside the housing and a hinged cover for covering substantially all of the housing is disclosed.

Background of the invention Field of the inventiom-This invention relates to swimming pool construction generally and more particularly to anchors for swimming pool covers.

Description of the prior art.It has become rather commonplace to provide covers for swimming pools. Swimming pool covers serve two essential functions. The first is that provision of a swimming pool cover prevents the deposition of dust, insects, and other solid matter from the air above the swimming pool. Strong, tough, flexible material is also used for covering a swimming pool to prevent the accidental drowning of a person therein. Such covers may be constructed of canvas or a tough plastic such as the vinyls or the polyesters. Such pool covers may be constructed of a strength to withstand the weight of one or two persons thereon.

Whether the pool cover is intended only to keep the pool clean or is intended to prevent one from falling in the water accidentally, it is essential that an adequate anchor be provided to hold the cover in place. Anchors are also known in the prior art for use with swimming pools. Such anchors and covers are disclosed in United States Patent 2,958,872, issued to Meyer in 1960, 3,148,384, issued to Bartolucci in 1964, and 3,264,656, issued to Clay in 1966. The anchors of the prior art have, however, generally been found diflicult to use or have been inconvenient when not in use. It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an improved pool cover anchor which is easy to use and is self-storing when not in use.

Summary The present invention contemplates a pool cover anchor which is self-storing in the sense that when it is not in use no particular manipulation or handling is required.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a pool cover which is easily accessible but which has a minimum of moving parts, to thereby resist the elfects of corrosion.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pool cover anchor of exceptional strength and durability, especially adapted for use where safety type pool covers are contemplated.

Yet an additional and important object of the invention is to provide a pool cover anchor having a removable hook therein to permit repair and replacement of the hook without the necessity of removing the pool cover anchor from concrete or other material in which it is embedded.

The specific disclosure herein constitutes an additional object of the invention and other objects will be apparent from the specification and the drawings.

In summary, the present invention contemplates a pool cover anchor which, in a preferred form, may comprise a hollow housing having a generally cylindrical lower portion with a frustoconical upper portion, an annular boss being provided on the lower portion for being engaged by 3,414,226 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 concrete or other settable material in which the anchor is embedded, a piano hinged cover on the top and a hook which is especially adapted to be strongly secured inside the cylindrical portion and which may include, in the preferred embodiment, a shoulder which rests against the interior of the frustoconical portion to give added strength and rigidity to the anchor.

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a corner of a swimming pool showing the cover and the anchor of this invention in use.

FIGURE 2 is a top view looking downwardly at the anchor of this device.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the anchor of this device taken substantially along lines 3--3 in the direction of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the hook inside the housing taken substantially along lines 44 in the direction of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a modified form of the anchor of this invention adapted for use where only dust covers are contemplated and, consequently, the weight of the cover is held to a minimum.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to FIGURE 1, the present invention contemplates a pool cover 10 having eyes or the equivalent 12 about the edges and which is held in place by a lashing or a plurality of lashings or shown at 14, which lashings are secured in anchors 16, which constitutes the present invention.

The anchor 16 is better shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. The anchor comprises a housing which is hollow and includes a generally cylindrical lower portion 20 having annular bosses 22 thereon and an inverted frustoconical portion 24, all of which are embedded in a concrete matrix 26, or the equivalent. The anchor further comprises an upper flange or lip 28 to which a fixed portion 30 is secured. A movable portion 32 is secured by a hinge 34 to the fixed portion 30 and, in combination with the portion 30, comprises a cover for the housing. The portion 32 includes an opening 36 therethrough through which the lashing 14 may extend when the cover is in the closed position. The entire cover, portions 30, 32 and hinge 34, rest in a recess 38 in the upper flange portion 28. The portion 30 may be secured by screws or by welding or by such other means as is convenient.

Preferably, the cover is of comparatively thick material, for example, it may be on the order of one-eighth inch in thickness, and it is desirable to provide a double groove shown at 40 and 42, in FIGURE 2, to permit the movable portion 32 to move upwardly, as illustrated in phantom line in FIGURE 3.

The hook 44 comprises a portion 46 which is adapted to he snugly received inside the cylindrical portion 20 and may be removably secured therein by means of a threaded bolt 48 which is secured to the bottom. A curved portion 50 which forms a hook and which is preferably enlarged extends above the portion 46. The enlarged hook portion is adapted to receive the lashing 14.

One of the important features of the invention is the provision of a shoulder 52 which rests against the interior of the frustoconical portion 24 to give added strength and rigidity to the anchor. By providing the shoulder 52, there is little or no tendency of the hook to flex and, consequently, there is no metal fatigue. In addition, the forces are exerted substantially laterally against the interior of the wall of the housing and thence to the concrete to thereby decrease the possibility that the hook will fail. This hook is especially adaped where the safety type cover is used. That is, where the cover is of such weight and strength as to hold the weight of one or more persons to prevent their accidental drowning in the pool.

Where such strength is not required, an alternative embodiment is shown in FIGURE wherein all the parts are the same except that the hook comprises an elongate shank portion 54 which is threadably received in the bottom of the cylindrical portion 20 and includes a spacer 58 to provide a snug fit inside the cylindrical portion 20. The hook portion 60 may be of any conventional shape and no shoulder is necessarily provided. Such an anchor is quite adequate where the intent of the cover is to prevent the entry of dust into the pool. However, where very heavy [weights are contemplated, it is desirable to provide the anchor of FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 for the additional safety factor.

In use, it is necessary only to flip up the hinged portion 32, wrap the lashing around the hook inside the housing, and fiip the hinged portion down. The only moving part is the hinged cover portion 32. No special manipulation of the hook to get it in position is required. During periods of nonuse, no special manipulation is required and the anchor merely remains as shown in FIGURE 2. Since the cover is of sufiicient strength and rigidity, people may walk thereon and wheeled vehicles may be pushed thereover without disturbing the anchor and without unduly vibrating the wheeled vehicle, is such is used.

In the preferred embodiment, the anchor may be made of metal, such as aluminum or brass or of steel which may be plated to prevent the rusting thereof. It is, however, desirable to provide a rust resistant metal or alloy since the anchors are used in the proximity of the edge of a pool and, consequently, would be subject to attack from moisture and from pool chemicals as well.

It is, however, possible to make the housing out of wood such .as red wood or some other rot resistant wood. In this case, bolts or screws must be provided for securing the cover thereon. Preferably, however, the anchor may be made of brass or copper which have good chemical resistance. It may be desirable to make the hook of a stronger tougher material than the material of the housing. For example, the hook could be made of a nickel plated steel while the housing could be made of a nickel plated brass or bronze. Any desired material, however, may be used.

The shape of the hook 50 is important in that it must easily receive the lashing but must be such that the lashing will not easily accidentally be removed therefrom. To this end, the enlarged head, best shown in FIGURE 4, is provided. This permits the lashing to be placed easily around the hook but a specific movement and elfort is required to remove the lashing from the hook.

It will be apparent that the anchor of this invention is both simply made and simply used and has significant advantages over those of the prior art. Accordingly, all the objects of the invention have been fulfilled and other advantages will be obvious from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art. It will be understood, also, that while the invention has been abstracted, summarized .and disclosed with reference to specific embodiments and constructions that it is contemplated that departures therefrom may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An anchor for swimming plOOl. cover lashings comprising, in combination:

a generally hollow housing;

means on the exterior of the housing for securing the anchor in concrete or other settable material;

a hook secured in the housing for receiving the cover lashin gs; and

a movable cover for selectively substantially enclosing the housing or opening the housing to permit access to the hook therein.

2. The anchor of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises:

a generally cylindrical bottom portion upon which the securing means are formed; and

a generally inverted frustoconical enlarged top portion to which the movable cover is secured.

3. The anchor of claim 2 wherein the cover c'omprises:

a hinged member adapted to swing from an open position for exposing the interior of the housing to a closed position, said member having an opening therein for permitting passage of the lashing therethrough.

4. The anchor of claim 3 wherein the hook comprises:

an enlarged portion snugly received in the bottom portion; and

a curved portion extending from the bottom portion.

5. The anchor of claim 4 wherein the hook further comprises:

a shoulder on the curved portion which rests against the interior of the frustoconical portion for supporting and strengthening the curved portion.

6. The anchor of claim 2 wherein the hook comprises:

an enlarged portion snugly received in the bottom portion; and

a curved portion extending from the bottom portion.

7. The anchor of claim 6 wherein the hook further comprises:

a shoulder on the curved portion which rests against the interior of the frustoconical portion for supporting and strengthening the curved portion.

8. The anchor of claim 7 further comprising:

means removably securing the hook in the housing for permitting repair and replacement of the hook without necessitating the removal of the housing from the concrete.

9. The anchor of claim 8 wherein the securing means comprises:

annular bosses on the cylindrical portion of the hous- References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,102,708 9/1963 Crain 248-361 3,142,264 7/1964 De Boer 369 3,264,656 8/1966 Clay et al. 4172 3,297,293 1/1967 Andrews et al 248-361 3,365,162 1/1968 Davis 248-361 JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner. 

